Mar 8 (CT) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa dissolved Parliament last Monday (2) midnight and the date for the General Election set for 25 April and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) of UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa is still on the lookout for a party symbol to contest the elections. Ever since, the heat of Prez Election 2019 was over, the two factions in the UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe faction and Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa faction more..

Mar 8 (SO) March is considered the big match month and two big matches �Thurstan-Isipatana and Josephian-Peterite have just been concluded. The Battle of the Maroons between Ananda and Nalanda is also set to conclude today and the pitch has now been laid for the world�s oldest uninterrupted inter-school encounter � the Battle of the Blues between Royal and S.Thomas� to continue its 141 years of glorious cricketing traditions. With the mega big match to be called �play� at SSC ground more..

Mar 8 (ST) A swashbuckling unfinished fifth wicket partnership of 159 runs coming off in 20.5 overs by Raveen De Silva (100*) and Rashan Dissnanayake (77*) and a fine opening bowling spell by Jithesh Wasala highlighted the first day� play of the 91st Battle of the Maroons cricket encounter at the SSC Grounds yesterday. Ananda skipper Kanishka Ranthilakage�s gamble of inviting Nalanda to bat first misfired as Nalanda posted a healthy 307 for 4 and in reply Ananda were fighting for survival more..

Mar 8 (ST) As the deadline to submit fresh Expression of Interests (EOIs) for Sri Lanka Cricket�s (SLC) media rights for the 2020-2023 ends today, Sony who pulled out from the bidding citing lack of transparency, is likely to enter the fray this time after SLC combined broadcasting rights � TV/Radio and Digital. SLC had no option but to re-tender after it failed to attract a satisfactory bid following the withdrawal of a number of more..

Mar 8 (ST) 86th Battle of the Saints between traditional rivals St. Joseph�s and St. Peter�s played at the P. Sara Stadium concluded in a tame draw. In fact the outcome of the match was visible at the end of the first day�s play with the Peterites making 224 and the Josephians ending the day on 191 for 4. Josephians resuming their innings on day two saw the overnight pair Dineth Jayakody and Sadeesh Jayasinghe adding a further 44 runs before the pair was separated with dismissal of Jayakody. more..

Mar 8 (CI) There were half-centuries for Joe Root and Jos Buttler as England were bowled out for 316 on day one of their opening tour match in Sri Lanka. Buttler, who has retained his billing as first-choice wicketkeeper despite the presence of Ben Foakes on tour, top-scored with 79 to hint at a return to form after a difficult winter. England kept faith with the same batting line-up that helped secure a 3-1 win in South Africa earlier this year, before allowing time in the middle for Foakes and Keaton more..

Mar 8 (SLN) The St. Anthony's sacred Church on Kachchativu Island which is located in close proximity to Indo-SL Maritime Boundary Line and owned by Sri Lanka has long been the pinnacle of reverence of both Indian and Sri Lankan Catholic devotees. Giving precedence to customary rituals, the annual feast of the St. Anthony's Church was celebrated this morning (7), on a successful note. more..

Mar 8 (SLN) The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Parramatta today (7) arrived at the port of Colombo and she was welcomed by Sri Lanka Navy in compliance with naval traditions. Colombo harbour became the latest port of call for HMAS Parramatta which arrived here to continue the close maritime security cooperation between Australia and Sri Lanka. An Australian delegation including Commander Anita Mary Nemarich, Commanding Officer of HMAS Parramatta also called on more..

Mar 8 (ST) With the coronavirus (COVID-19) slowing down the global economy, foreigners have rushed to encash Treasury Bonds and Bills held by them in SL, resulting in an outflow of Rs 19.6 billion in two weeks, Central Bank said. Rs 8.23 billion of foreign outflow was recorded this week by Friday while last week Rs 11.42 billion govt securities were encashed. Monthly Monetary Policy Review issued by the CB said this week that the escalation of the coronavirus outbreak to a global health emergency more..

Mar 8 (Island) UNP informed the Elections Commissioner that it would be contesting all 22 electoral districts, at the parliamentary polls fixed for April 25. Confirmation was made in writing by the General Secretary of the party, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. The official announcement comes amidst the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), formed by UNP Deputy leader Sajith Premadasa saying that the SJB and UNP should contest the General Election as more..

Mar 8 (SO) The impact of the deadly coronavirus on Chinese funded and collaborated construction projects such as the Port City and high rise apartments is minimal as many Chinese nationals decided to skip the new year vacation to complete work on projects, officials managing the projects said. CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd., Manager, Sales and Marketing, Shajeeth Majumudeen said there is no hindrance from the disease to the work on the Port City Project as most Chinese more..

Mar 8 (EN) Five days before Nomination Day, UNP has made a move that will surely scuttle any attempts to unite the Grand Old Party before Parliamentary General Elections on April 25. UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam officially informed the Elections Commission Saturday that his party will be contesting all 22 electoral divisions. The substantial portion of the UNP is now with the Sajith Premadasa-led Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and there was active talk that more..

Mar 8 (CT) Former MP Ravi Karunanayake has attempted to strike a deal with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), to either appoint him or General Secretary of the New Democratic Front (NDF) Sharmila Perera as the General Secretary of the SJB, if they wanted the Swan symbol for the alliance led by Sajith Premadasa. Karunanayake has proposed that if Perera was appointed General Secretary, he and more..

Mar 8 (DM) Lulu Group Int'l Chairman and Managing Director, UAE based Indian billionaire, Yusuff Ali has postponed this month's visit to Sri Lanka to discuss millions of dollars worth of investments with the govt amid fears of the global coronavirus threat. Mr. Ali, who was to arrive in Sri Lanka on March 16, on a private jet was scheduled to hold discussions with PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and other senior govt members. He was expected to discuss investments valued at more than US$1 billion. more..

Mar 8 (Island) Cabinet of Ministers has not discussed the appointment of a new IGP, says Minister Bandula Gunawardena. Asked who the next Police Chief would be, as IGP Pujith Jayasundera (sent on compulsory leave), will be retiring from service on March 15, Gunawardena said on Thursday that it was a matter for the Constitutional Council. "We cannot decide on the next IGP. It is for the Constitutional Council to select the most suitable police officer", he added. more..

Mar 8 (ST) The Govt will float a request for proposals (RFP) for the Colombo Light Rail Transit (LRT) project despite the last administration having already signed a loan agreement for it with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in March last year. �We will do it but it will be a different model,� said Priyath Bandu, Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Dev., Water Supplies & Housing Facilities. more..

Mar 8 (MFA) Minister Dinesh Gunawardena briefed the Diplomatic community on the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic and the preventive measures the Govt of SL contemplates taking. Foreign Minister apprised that adequate preventive measures to curtail the transmission of the virus have been taken by the Govt. While appreciating the role of the media he urged the media to be cautious in disseminating the correct information to the general public so as not to give into panic unnecessarily, more..

Mar 8 (AD) A group of CID officers today (7) went over to the residence of former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, who was issued arrest warrants, at Rajamalwatta in Battaramulla. The CID officers reached Karunanayake�s residence at around 7.00 am this morning. They had waited outside the residence for nearly 45 minutes for the former minister to show up. However, it was reported that Karunanayake has not been at his residence when CID officers arrived. more..

Mar 8 (TM) The judiciary and the Attorney General�s (AG) Department have come into the crosshairs of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI), appointed by the President to investigate alleged, political victimisation of service members of the armed forces and other civil servants. The CoI, comprising former SC judge Upali Abeyratne, former Court of Appeal judge Daya Jayatilleka, and former IGP Chandra Fernando, was appointed by more..

Mar 8 (ST) New laws will be enacted to regulate the flourishing online shopping market that has been lately littered with fraudsters selling counterfeit products. Samantha Karunarathne, Director Competition Promotion, CAA said that current rules lack the regulatory teeth necessary to stop online manipulative practices. She said from last July, some 150 complains pertaining to online purchases such as fake products, quality issues, late delivery and poor customer service more..

Mar 8 (TM) Govt will pay salaries worth Rs 1.6 billion in total to newly employed graduates, even before they report for their first day of work. This is due to the issuance of appointment letters to 40,000 graduates last Monday and the subsequent decision by the Election Commission (EC) to suspend these appointments until the conclusion of the general election. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that each graduate would be paid a sum of Rs. 20,000 per month for a period of one year of training. more..

Mar 8 (ST) Three quarantine centres have been established in SL by the health authorities to keep under observation people arriving here from high-risk COVID-19 affected countries. They are the Batticaloa private campus, the Kandakadu Treatment & Rehabilitation Centre and the Leprosy Hospital at Hekitta in Hendala. The transportation of people arriving from the high-risk countries of Italy, South Korea and Iran to the Batticaloa more..

Mar 8 (DM) The UNP is to complain to the Election Commission against the Kurunegala Hospital Director who is planning to contest the election on the SLPP ticket while being employed in the govt sector. Former UNP MP Sandith Samarasinghe told a news conference that the Hospital Director had launched his election campaign in Kurunegala using hospital vehicles and even nurses were made to attend. "We will complain to the health authorities as well for violation election laws," he said. more..

Mar 8 (AD) Director of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) Muthuraja Surendran, has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department. He was subsequently remanded by the Colombo Additional Magistrate until March 18, after he was produced before courts. Muthuraja Surendran is the eighth suspect in the CB bond auctions of March 2016. Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court yesterday (6) issued warrants for the arrest of Karunanayake and 9 others over CB bond auctions of Mar 2016. more..

Mar 8 (ST) Eya apiwa vinaasa kara or he has destroyed us bemoaned Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, a key player in the SLFP, referring to his leader and former Prez Maithripala Sirisena. Speaking at the meeting of partner leaders of the SLPP this week, he declared apiwa thamai amaruwe daanney or it is we who are put into trouble, referring to remarks made by Sirsena. The meeting was chaired by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and more..

Mar 9 (CT) The SL parliament finally stands dissolved (to adapt SWRD�s famous line on the still more famous B-C Pact: the Pact stands abrogated). Parliament escaped premature dissolution in October-November 2018 when the Supreme Court cut short Maithripala Sirisena�s amateurish attempt at executive overreach. It could and should have been dissolved soon after the court verdict by (two-thirds) parliamentary consent, but Ranil Wickremesinghe, rather than more..

Mar 9 (CT) Reframing the debate around Women, Peace and Security: A UN resolution is in danger of leading peace advocates down the wrong path. When a peace deal is struck between warring factions, it is widely understood that peace has been achieved. However, when key sections of society�in most cases all women�are kept from the negotiating table, is that peace agreement likely to meet the needs of all citizens? As an individual who has lived through conflict from a young age, more..

Mar 9 (ST) These are days when different UN agencies have focused considerable attention on Sri Lanka. Even UNDP Asia Pacific regional head Neil Buhne, was in Colombo this week to make a first-hand study of developments in SL. He was onetime UN Resident Representative in Colombo, a position now held by most affable Hanna Singer. Mr Buhne hosted SLPP architect and National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa to lunch more..

Mar 9 (ST) The Greeks have a saying for it: Don�t look a gift horse in the mouth. And in the countdown to the presidential election, the party that would emerge triumphant at the hustings, SLPP, turned the old adage on its head; and, draped top to toe in the Lion flag of patriotism, refused point blank to even furtively cast a curious glance at the 480 million dollar American stallion, let alone examine its two sets of ivory. Instead the decision was made on the crest of chauvinism�s tidal wave not to touch more..

Mar 9 (ST) Ever the consummately expedient political strategist, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa wishes to rejuvenate the controversial anti-Conversions Bill that was discarded more than one and a half decades ago following enormous public concern and an adverse ruling by the Supreme Court. This wish, expressed in the Rajapaksa comfort zone of a recent gathering of the All Ceylon Buddhist Council, attended by the adoring faithful, had been articulated with charm and a wink, as media informs us. more..

Mar 9 (CT) By 6 March 2020, the number of cases coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) topped 100,000, the world over, while the death toll surpassed 3,380. The WHO issued a high risk warning to all countries, including Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine (HNIM) is also faced with a dilemma as the Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a little over a month away and thousands of migrant workers more..

Mar 9 (SO) The April 25 poll, is the stability election. It�s the electoral contest in which the years of near anarchy spawned by a hapless UNP led regime has to be turned around and reversed in a way that�s solid and confidence inspiring, if not permanent. It�s true that there are other reasons people will vote. They want a better economy, they want better opportunities for their children, and they want hope. But primarily they will seek to bring back stability that was wholly absent during the 5 years more..

Mar 9 (TM) Around 20 years ago as I recollect, there was a discussion on Sri Lankan radio about whether it was fair for women to wear trousers or jeans. This was a topic of conversation that was raised at a time when a female president led the country; a country that had produced the first female PM in the world. When I was at Colombo University, the topic �Should women wear trousers?� was assigned for a debate during the ragging period. Though we have seen some progress on this topic, more..

Mar 9 (Island) There are numerous controversies now unravelling in connection with SriLankan Airlines, our treasured national carrier. There have been multiple attempts by policymakers to revive the Airline and run it as a viable business entity. Managing SriLankan Airlines, as a state entity, has been a difficult challenge since its establishment in 1979. Abusing power and privileges, at the higher echelons in the organization, has been the norm since its inceptions. more..

Mar 9 (Island) The Colombo Fort Magistrate, on Friday, issued arrest warrants on 11 suspects in connection with the bond scams, but the police had arrested only one of them by Sunday evening. The manner in which the police have been trying to arrest the missing suspects is ridiculous, to say the least. Some policemen, described as members of special teams, visit the residences of the wanted men and return empty-handed. Do they expect suspects to stay at home to be arrested? more..

Mar 9 (TM) Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN in their technical paper titled Microplastics in fisheries and aquaculture, indicated that the global plastic production had reached 322 million tonnes in 2015 with an addition of 61 million tonnes of synthetic fibres in the same year, and expected that it would very likely double in 2025. The mismanagement of plastic waste had contributed towards more..

Mar 9 (CI) Kusal Perera will not be in contention for a place in the SL squad for their first Test against England, starting Mar 19, after picking up an injury to the middle finger of his right hand during the second T20I against WI on Friday. Wanindu Hasaranga will also be out of action for several weeks after injuring his left hamstring while fielding in the same match. An SLC statement said that Perera is expected to be fit in 2 weeks, meaning that he should be in the fray for 2nd & final Test, more..

Mar 9 (CI) Matt Parkinson did his best to make a statement to England selectors ahead of the first Test in Sri Lanka by claiming four wickets as the visitors held command of their opening warm-up match at Katunayake. At stumps on the second day of the three-day tour match between England and a Sri Lanka Cricket XI, England led by 110 runs, having restricted their opposition to 245 in their first innings on the back of 23-year-old leg-spinner Parkinson's 4 for 68. more..

Mar 9 (TM) The long-awaited global advertising campaign for Sri Lanka Tourism is set to be launched in September this year with Cabinet approval set to be obtained this week, according to SLTDA sources. The campaign, which has been in the pipeline for five to seven years under two gots, has been desperately awaited by the industry, particularly following the Easter Sunday attacks and more recently the coronavirus outbreak. more..